Tip-delivering bowling ball



Ndv. 7, 1950 cip, JONES 2,529,024

TIP DELIVERING BOWLING BALL Filed Jan. 27, 1948 JNVENTOR. CARMEN 0. JO/YISIS' ATTOR/YEK) Patented Nov. 7, 1950 UNITED ,STATES PATENT OFFICE Carmen D. Jones, Arlington, Va. 'Application January 27, 1948 Serial No. 4,640

1 Claim. 1 This invention relates to improvements in bowling balls for duck-pins.

It is customary to give tips to the pin boys in bowling alleys and this is accomplished by rolling or throwing coins down the alleys. Frequently the coins fail to reach their destination and fall flat on the playing surface or roll into the gutters or off the particular alley.

An object of the invention is the provision of a bowling ball having an enlarged pocket therein to receive a container for coins as tips to the pin boys. The outer or exposed end of said container bein curved to conform to the spherical surface of the ball, said ball being provided with a distinctive color or indicia for setting it apart from the other balls.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a bowling ball having an enlarged pocket therein to receive a container having an outer closed end fiush with the curved surface of the ball so that the ball will roll smoothly along the playing surface of the alley. The inner end of the side walls of the pocket being flared to receive outwardly projecting spring-pressed members on the inner open coin-receiving end of the container for retaining said container in position within the pocket, said ball being so marked that it will be recognized readily as the tip ball, the container being releasable from the pocket to recover the coins deposited therein.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combinations of parts hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through the center of a bowling ball disclosing a vertical section of a removable coin container.

Figure 2 is a view in elevation of the container removed from the ball.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the container illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side view in elevation of an instrument employed for removing the container from the ball.

Figure 5 is a view in elevation of a modified form of the container.

Figure 6 is a vertical section of the modified form of container seated in a pocket in a bowl- 2v especially for duckpins. Said ball is provided a radial pocket I! which is formed by'boringfia hole therein or the socket may be formed dur ing molding. The balls aremade from the {same materials as are employed in the manufacture of bowling balls,however, they may be provided with a distinctive color or indicia which may be applied directly to the surface of the ball'for ready recognition of the special purpose of the ball. The side wall of the pocket is preferably cylindrical although it may assume some other geo metrical design. The inner "end of the pocket is flared as shown at l2 for a purpose which will be described presently, 4

The bottom it of the pocket is fiat and dis posed at one side of the center of the ball in.

A container I5 is cylindrical in form and has a smaller cross-sectional area than the pocket I I so that the container may be fitted readily into the pocket. The container is made preferably of spring metal in order that resilient fingers It may be formed at the inner end of the container, when the side wall thereof is provided with a plurality of vertical slits H. The fingers at the upper ends are pressed outwardly as shown at [8 to form an increased diameter at the inner end of the container for frictional engagement of the fingers with the side wall of the pocket to aid in retaining the container in the pocket. The fingers, adiacent the free ends, are bent outwardly to form curved ribs I9 which are adapted to seat circumferentially in the flared portion 12 of the pocket H and which cooperate with the frictionally-engaged fingers for maintaining the container in the pocket until released manually.

An integral closure 2'9 forms the outer end of the container and is provided with a coin slot 2|. The outer face of the closure conforms to the spherical surface of the ball so that the ball will roll smoothly over the playing surface of the bowling alley. A spring finger 22 has one end secured at 23 to the inner surface of the cover '26 with the free end disposed across the slot to prevent the loss of coins from the container. A coin may be inserted through the slot and the free end of the finger will be forced away from the slot by the coin which will fall tothe bottom of the pocket II.

An instrument 25, Figure 4, may be employed for removing the container Hi from the pocket i l. The instrument includes a handle 25, a shank 2'5 and a key 28 adapted to be inserted through the coin slot 2| and turned by the handle for placing the key transversely of the slot. A pull on the handle will remove the container for the recovery of the coins in the pocket.

Figures 5 to 7, inclusive, illustrate a modified form of the container. A cylindrical container 30 is seated in the pocket II in the ball Ill and has an open bottom and a closed top. A closure or cap 3| has an externally-threaded cylindrical flange 32 screwed into the internal threads of the cylinder 30. A knurled portion 33 aids in rotating the closure. The closure has a peripheral shoulder 34 seated on the outer end of the cylinder. A coin slot 2| in the closure is protected against the loss of coins by the spring finger 22 extending across the slot. The outer surface of the cover conforms to the spherical surface of the ball.

The inner end of the container is provided with diametrically-disposed passages 35 to receive spring-pressed fingers 36 projecting into the flared portion !2 of the pocket I! to retain the container from accidental discharge. A semicircular flat spring 3? is seated against the inner wall of the container and not only carries the pins or fingers 36 but retains them in the flared portion l2 of the pocket.

The bowlers are provided with a number of the balls equipped with the coin containers. When it is desired to forward a tip to a pin boy, a coin is inserted through the slot 2! past the spring 22 whence it will fall to the bottom of the pocket II. The ball is then rolled down an alley. The distinguishing marks or color on the ball will be sufficient to attract the attention of the boy who will remove the container by the instrument 25.

After the coin has been obtained, the empty container will be reinserted in the pocket and the ball will be returned along the usual runway.

When the container 30 is'employed and the pin boy finds that the coin is too large for passing the spring 31, he will unscrew the cover 3|.

After the coin has been taken from the container, the cover Will be replaced as will the container after which the ball will be returned along the runway to its starting point. The spring-actuated means in the form of the ribs IS in Figure 2, or the pins 36 in Figure '7, seated in the annular flared portion I2 of the pocket retains the respective containers in the pockets ll.

What is claimed is:

The combination with a bowling ball having a cylindrical pocket extending inwardly from a peripheral surface thereof, the bounding ball of said pocket contiguous to its terminating end being flared to provide an annular seat, of a coin delivering container embracingly received and supported within said pocket, said container having an open bottom and a top and being provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending circumferentially spaced slots extending from the open bottom thereof, the portions of said sleeve intermediate said slots being bent outwardly to form a plurality of fingers for frictional engagement with the bounding wall of said pocket, and the free ends of each of said fingers being bent arcuately outwardly to form ribs for frictional engagement Within said annular seat.

CARMEN D. JONES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 105,645 Chappell July 26, 1870 435,220 Goldsmith Aug. 26, 1890 449,280 Brigham Mar. 31, 1891 1,026,069 Bendelari May 14, 1912 2,210,528 Darby Aug. 6, 1940 

